The Beast With The Blackest Heart?
by not-so-average-girl
Summary: Belle has just given up her whole life to work for the mysterious, cold-blooded deal-maker Rumplestiltskin. One night, changes her whole perception of him. Now having seen the good in him, she will stop at nothing to become to hero in her books and slay the darkness that has taken root in him. But the further she plunges into his warped mind, will that all change?


**The Beast with the Blackest Heart?**

The wheel began to turn, round and round and round. His breathing steadied and he closed his eyes zoning into the steady rhythm, foot never resting, still pushing away at the pedal. He didn't even bother to open his eyes and hold out his hand to catch the falling golden lace as it trickled out of the spinning wheel shimmering in the sun , newborn. There was no strength left in him to lift his eyelids instead he just traced the edges of the spinning wheel ever so gently with his left hand and pushed on the pedal with his right foot.

He stopped abruptly. His eyes shooting open. There it was again. That incessant moaning coming from the dungeon. He couldn't stand crying. It reminded him of everything he was trying so desperately to forget about. It had to end, this was the fourth night in a row. He willed himself to move and began to stride across the hall ways, twisting and turning through the never-ending dark corners of The Dark Castle. The air was cold, yet it didn't bother him. His skin was too thick and scaly to feel it and besides he liked the cold.

Soon he was at the wooden door, the sobbing louder now. It made his ears drum. Feeling the anger rise inside him like a lion being tormented in a cage, full of people. He launched at the door. Laughing, laughing at him...for not going to war, for being the coward...

"Oh, Papa..." a soft, hoarse voice called desperately from inside the room of which he was standing outside. It stopped him in his tracks and the scaly man stood dumb-struck. He remembered that name...Papa. His long, warped fingers clutched around the doorknob. Instead of charging in all guns-blazing (which was what the Imp inside urged him to do), Rumplestiltskin placed his ear gently against the door, closed his eyes and listened...

Inside a young girl no more than twenty years old hugged her knee's close to her chest. Long brown ringlets swished over her delicate face, which looked as though it would break at the slightest touch. She'd wanted to be brave, an adventure. But not like this. Although she was still in a palace, she might as well have been lying on a dirt road at least then she would feel more at home then she did in this strange place. Crispy, bitter tears ran down her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to grab a book and snuggle up in her bed, reading until she fell asleep and dreamt about a charming prince sweeping her away on his noble steed into the sunset. Nothing like that existed in this barren wasteland which that "man" called a home. Before she could even think another thought, that "man" entered into her "room".

"The crying must stop." he chanted in that oh-so impish, high-pitched voice of his which made Belle re-coil in displeasure. How could he be so insolent, surely even a monster like him knew what it was to feel pain. Little did she know that the monster did indeed feel pain, much of it. She shot Rumple a look of dismay.

"What else do you expect me to do. My whole life is over" she awkwardly scrambled to her feet and faced him straight-on, "even a monster like you must a heart." Somewhere during that one statement, the Imp inside Rumplestilstkin had completely clouded his once caring nature of a moment ago and replaced it with sarcasm and cockiness.

"Oh yes, dearie. I have a heart." he circled her, making her feel less confident in herself. She swallowed hard and as she did so he stopped and leant in towards her ear. His cold breath causes her hairs to stand on end. Belle clenched her fists and tried desperately to steady her breathing. The Imp felt sudden her anxiety and used it to his advantage, taking her soft hand in his rough one and slowly teasing her; forcing it up her side and gliding it towards where her own heart lay. Belle's breathing was out of control, she would rather you do whatever evil deed he wanted to right there and then, rather than prolong his moves and leave her mind to jump to conclusions. "Mine lies exactly where yours does." he explained, his sudden voice making Belle's wondering thoughts shoot to attention like soldiers awaiting orders. "It beats" he moved their hands in a similar action, beating somehow harshly, yet so softly against her chest. Making her heart skip a beat. "Just like yours". It was with these words still recent in her head, Belle began to relax in the arms of this creature, her vibrant blue eyes shutting and her thoughts riding on the wind to the fantasy of Prince Charming saving her on his ever so noble steed.

The Imp was ever so much enjoying seeing the girl squirm. He glanced over to see how she was fairing. Is she? Is she smiling?! Outrage over took The Imp, how dare the girl smile under such a diverse, torture of the mind. How DARE SHE! It was with this thought fresh in IT'S mind that The Imp lifted his free left hand and yanked it at the girl's ringlets, she gave out a very satisfying yelp; "EXCEPT MINE IS BLACK TO THE CORE!" he hissed and spat at her innocent face. Which during the ordeal had been forced to his own. Bright blue eyes stared back at him, eyes like...like his own flesh and blood's. It was too much. How could he have hurt him, how could he have hurt Bae?!

Belle stared right back into Rumplestiltskin's sad, lost black eyes. And even though she had just been shouted at and abused she saw a change in his eyes when he caught sight of hers. They had gone from fiery anger to guilt and trauma. Rumplestiltskin let go of her and her legs buckled from beneath, causing her to crash almost in slow motion onto the damp, dark cobbles of the dungeon floor. Without a second glance he strode out of the room, his breathing having intensified. There was something about that girl that just drove him crazy. It was as if he one moment saw the beauty in her, and was overcome with a sudden need to protect her and hold her and the other was a hatred towards her and her views. He would have to get rid of her. He would HAVE to. It was the only way.

Meanwhile Belle had managed to clambered back onto the place in which she had come to know as bed and had began to contemplate the events of mere moments ago. Now as she drifted off into the beginnings of a restless sleep, she thought of the words he had spat at her "BLACK TO THE CORE" and knew that he was wrong, there was good in him. She had seen it in his eyes, those eyes which yearned to be saved. And she was going to help him.

* * *

**_So that was my first ever attempt a fan-fiction *cringe*_**

**_Would love to get some reviews from all you dearies, I'm open to ideas :) Thinking about carrying it on, maybe? _**

**_All depends on you guys and what you think. _**

**_Hope you enjoyed reading it, it was a lot of fun to write 3_**

**_See you on the other side of crazy town ;)_**


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